Biden Nominates Stephanie Hallet as US Ambassador to Bahrain

The US President Joe Biden has nominated Stephanie Hallett as the new US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain, replacing the current ambassador, Steven Bondy. The announcement was made on the White House website, with the nomination requiring approval from the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Hallett, a career diplomat with extensive experience in the Middle East, currently serves as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Jerusalem. Prior to her assignment in Israel, Hallett was the Acting Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa and Director of Gulf Affairs at the National Security Council.  She also served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus and Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Muscat, Oman.  Previous assignments include serving as the Deputy Director of the Executive Secretariat Staff in Washington, DC; as the Political and Economic Section Chief at the US Embassy in Manama, Bahrain; and as the Deputy Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt. 

Hallett also worked in the Office of Iranian Affairs and the State Department Operations Center in Washington, DC, and at the US Consulates General in Monterrey, Mexico and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  She is a graduate of the George Washington University and the University of Cambridge.

Her confirmation by the Senate is expected in the coming months, with Hallett likely to take up her post in Bahrain early next year.